Golf club



' April 6, 1937. w DDEN 2,076,340

GOLF CLUB Filed Dec. 9, 1929 Patented Apr. 6, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

GOLF CLUB Application December 9, 1929, Serial No. 412,584 In Great Britain September 3, 1929 8 Claims.

This invention relates to metallic shafted golf clubs, such as drivers, brassies, etc., having wood heads.

Steel shafts are now used extensively for golf 5 clubs and in some cases are adapted to be easily removed from or attached to heads (usually of metal), by screw means, in order to enable a number of suitable shafts and heads to be tried before the desired style and balance of club is 1() obtained.

Several disadvantages have to be coped with in the attachment of steel shafts to wooden heads by screwing the two parts together; such as, lack of positive grip between the wood head and steel shaft, tendency of the relatively soft wooden parts contacting with the steel parts to give more or less when in use, and so render the club unsatisfactory, and lack of strength in the socket part of the wooden head.

The object of the present invention is to overcome the above disadvantages, by providing a metal to metal joint between the wood head and the steel or other metallic shaft. A further object is to provide such a joint which will secure the 25 shaft and wood head tightly together, while permitting them to be separated easily when required.

A still further object is to provide a device or tool for inserting a metallic liner in a wood head for a golf club.

A golf club according to the present invention, may comprise, in combination, a shanked wooden head, an internally tapered and partly screw threaded socket in said shank, a tapered and screw threaded metallic liner in said socket, and a ta- 35 pered metallic shaft screw threaded at its lower end in order to form a combined screw joint and tapered push joint with the interior of said lined socket.

A special tool is provided for inserting the liner 40 in the club head.

I will now describe, by way of example, one mode of carrying out my present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawing, where- Fig. 1 is a sectional view through a wooden head for a driver golf club.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a metallic tapered and partly screw threaded liner for the socket of the said head.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a tool for use in screwing the liner into place in the socket.

Fig. 4 is a view showing the liner in section, with the tool screwed into it.

Fig. 5 is a sectional View showing the liner and a tubular steel shaft screwed home and secured in the head.

Referring to the drawing:-

The wooden golf club head 6 has a shank 1 provided with an internally tapering socket 8 com- 60 prising a plain tapering portion 8 and a screw threaded cylindrical portion 8. The socket is tapered so that it converges. from its upper en. towards the sole 9 of the head.

The metallic liner (see Fig. 2) has a plain tapering portion Ill and a screw threaded cylindrical portion l0, and the tapering portion converges in the direction of the end at which the threaded portion is located.

Preferably the threaded portion of the liner is formed by bending the metal thereof into screw formation; this may be done by introducing a helically grooved device into the liner, acting on the part of the liner to be threaded, by a tool which forces the metal by bending action into the helical groove on said device, and relatively rotating the liner and grooved device and the tool.

The threaded and tapered portions of the socket and liner are made to correspond. The external thread on the liner is adapted to engage with the internally threaded portion 8 of the socket 8, and said external thread on the liner also forms on its reverse side the internal thread for the reception of a threaded portion on the metallic shaftof the golf club. The thread on the shaft may be formed'in similar manner to that on the liner. I

In order quickly and easily to screw the liner into the socket, the tool shown in Fig. 3- is provided. This tool consists of a handle II and a tapered shank I2, which is of circular cross section and has a portion l2 of reduced diameter and a cylindrical screw threaded portion lZ which itself has a portion l2? of reduced diameter. When the tool is screwed into the liner, the relative motion of the screwed portions. l2 I0 draws the tapered portions I I3 and I2 into interengagement and binds the tool and liner frictionally together, making a combined screw joint and ta pered push joint; this enables the liner to be screwed into the socket by means of the handle on the too]. To remove the tool it is simply unscrewed a few turns and then withdrawn; the portion I2 of reduced diameter helps in giving a quick release. The portion l2 of reduced diameter compensates for slight errors in the sizes of the tool or liner, ensuring that the screw threaded limit of the portion H of the tool will not be reached before the tapered portions Ill and I! come into interengagement.

The joint between the liner and the socket may be strengthened by the addition of glue, varnish or the like and instead of, or in addition, to, this, a pin, nail, screw or other device may be passed through the liner into the wooden part of the head or socket in order to lock the liner positively therein, as illustrated by the nail l3 (Fig.

To enable the tubular steel shaft M to be at-,

tached to the head, the shaft is provided at its smaller end with a tapering portion I l which "7 ber screwed into the handle of the tool.

ends in a cylindrical screw threaded portion I4"; these portions Hl and M are made to correspond with the inside of the portions l0, W of the liner. The shaft I4 is screwed into the head, thereby bringing the portion I l into fries tional interengagement with the inside of the portion HP, and binding the shaft to the "head with a combined screw joint and tapered push joint.

For a right handed golf club the threaded portions 8", I0 I2 and 14* are all made left handed, so that the act of striking a ball with the club tends to tighten the joints; for a left handed club, these threaded portions would of course be right handed.

In practice, first a hole is drilled axially through the shank of the wooden head to the sole and is screw threaded for a certain distance at its lower end, and, thereafter, the upper part of the socket may be tapered by means of a reamer, the tool is screwed into the liner l0 and both are then screwed home in the socket so that the smaller end of the liner projects from the sole 9 of the club, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5. The tool is then released from the liner and withdrawn. The portion of the liner projecting from the sole is now sheared on flush with the sole, and a nail I3 is driven through the liner into the Wooden part of the head. Finally, the shaft I4 is screwed home in the lined socket.

It will be evident that the shaft and head can easily be detached in order to permit various weights or sizes thereof to be tried before finally selecting a club of the desired style and balance. The method of attachment is simple, and the parts are reduced to a minimum.

In the drawing the thicknesses of the wall of the liner and tubular shaft have been enlarged v i0 somewhat out of proportion, for the sake of clearness.

By the term push joint I mean a joint formed by two partsa receiving internally tapered part, and a corresponding insertable externally 45 tapered part, the taper being such that when the parts are pushed or forced one into the other they become frictionally wedged together. A unital taper of approximately .007 has been found satisfactory in practice.

I may of course provide other means for screwing the liner home in the socket, but the tool described above is found to be simple in construction and very handy in use.

The metal tometal joint between the shaft and 55 head is very essential for a steel shafted club,

while the persimmon or other wood head with a socket-liner as aforesaid, is not only strong, but

has a neat appearance.

In practice it has been found that sometimes 0 the liner may be screwed too far into the socket, with the result that rather much of the screw threaded portion of the lineris cut away to render' it flush with the sole of the golf club head.

To obviate this I may provide gauge means on 5 the liner screwing home tool described above,

and this means may conveniently take the form of a collar, sleeve or other stop, on the shank or handle, such as that shown in section at l5, Fig.

4; the stop shown comprises a tubular mem- When the liner is screwed home to the correct amount in the socket, by means of the tool, this member abuts on the upper end of the shank of the head and preventsthe liner being driven further 75 into the socket. The step may be adjustable in the handle so as to predetermine the amount by which the liner .is screwed home, according to circumstances.

In order to ensure that the corresponding tarpered parts of the socket, liner and shaft are brought into interengagement before the limits of the screw threaded parts thereof are reached, plain cylindrical portions may be formed in a known manner on the socket, shaft or liner between the tapered and the threaded portions thereof.

Instead of tapering the upper part of the socket in the wooden head as above described, the liner may be allowed to form the tapered portion there, as it isscrewed into the socket.

While I have described my invention as applied to steel shafts, it is to be understood that it may just as well be applied to golf clubs having shafts made of any other metal suitable for the purpose. In addition, the above described cylindrical screw threaded portions on the socket liner and shaft may instead be made to taper in the same direction as the tapered portions thereof.

Binding cord or the like may be applied to the shank of the head and the lower part of the shaft in the usual manner.

I claim:

1. A wooden head for golf clubs provided with a shank having a tapered socket therethrough, a tapered tubular metallic lining, screw threads at one end of said lining extending for a substantial distance in a direction lengthwise of the lining, said threads forming threads in the socket wall at one end thereof to extend lengthwise of the'socket for a distance corresponding tothe position of the screw-threads in said lining, and. a metallic shaft tapered at one end and telescoped into said lining, said shaft provided with screw threads at said end which extend for a substantial distance in a direction lengthwise of the shaft, the threads on the shaft interiorly engaging the threads in the lining, the portion of the shaft above the threads and within the lining contacting with said lining, whereby a metal to metal binding engagement will be established and maintained between the shaft and said lining throughout the entire length of that portion of the shaft which is telescoped into said lining, to form a rigid joint between the shaft and head.

2. A wooden head for golf clubs provided with a shank having a tapered socket therethrough, a tapered tubular metallic lining, screw threads at one end of said lining extending for a substantial distance in a direction lengthwise of the lining and exteriorly engaging the wall of the socket to form threads at one end thereof to extend a substantial distance lengthwise of the socket corresponding to the position of the screw threads in the lining, and a metallic shaft tapered at one end and telescoped into said lining, said shaft provided with screw threads at said end which extend for a substantial distance in a direction lengthwise of the shaft, the threads on the shaft interiorly engaging the threadsv in the lining, the portion of the shaft above the threads and within the lining engaging said lining,

whereby a metal to metal frictional surface engagement will be established and maintained between the shaft and said lining throughout the entire length of that portion of the shaft which is telescoped into said lining to form a rigid joint between the shaft and head, the said .threaded portions ofthe lining and shaft operating to draw the shaft into the lining to effect a wedging engagement action between them.

3. A wooden head for golf clubs provided with a shank having a tapered socket therethrough, a tapered tubular metallic lining, screw threads at one end of said lining extending for a substantial distance in a direction lengthwise of the lining and exteriorly engaging the wall of the socket at one end to form threads in the wall extending a substantial distance lengthwise of the socket corresponding to the position of the screw threads in said lining, a metallic shaft tapered at one end and telescoped into said lining, said shaft provided with screw threads at said end which extend for a substantial distance in a direction lengthwise of the shaft, the threads on the shaft interiorly engaging the threads in the lining, the portion of the shaft above the threads and within the lining engaging said lining, whereby a metal to metal frictional surface engagement will be established and maintained between the shaft and said lining throughout the entire length of that portion of the shaft which is telescoped into said lining to form a rigid joint between the shaft and head, and means securing the lining in the socket and against removal with the shaft from the wooden head.

4. A wooden head for golf clubs provided with a shank having a socket therethrough with a substantially cylindrical portion and a substantially tapered portion, a tapering tubular metallic liner, the wall of the liner adjacent one end and for a substantial distance lengthwise of the liner being shaped to form external and internal screw threads, the remaining portion of the liner above the threads being smooth both exteriorly and interiorly, the exterior threads of the liner engaging the socket wall at one end thereof to form threads in the socket extending for a substantial distance lengthwise thereof, the remaining portion of the liner engaging the wall of the socket for the entire length of the socket, and a metallic shaft tapered at one end, said end of the shaft for a substantial distance lengthwise thereof being shaped to form screw threads adapted to engage the internal threads of the liner, the remaining portion of the shaft within the liner effecting surface interengagement with the liner to form a rigid joint, the said threads operating to cause a wedging engagement action between the liner and shaft in a direction lengthwise of the shaft.

5. A golf club comprising a wooden head having a shank extending therefrom, said shank having an internal bore therein comprising a plain tapering portion and a screw threaded cylindrical portion, a metallic liner having a plain tapering portion and a screw threaded cylindrical portion, the said screw threaded cylindrical portion having the screw threads formed therein both interiorly and exteriorly thereof with the exterior portions of the said screw threads engaging the screw threaded cylindrical portion of said shank and with the plain tapering portion of said liner frictionally engaging the plain tapering portion of said bore, and a metallic shaft connected with said liner, said shaft having a plain tapering portion and a screw threaded cylindrical portion, with the screw threads of said cylindrical portion engaging the interior portions of the screw threads on said liner, and the plain tapering portion thereof frictionally engaging the plain tapering portion of said liner.

6. A golf club comprising a wooden head having a shank extending therefrom, said shank having an internal bore therein comprising a plain tapering portion and a screw threaded cylindrical portion, a metallic liner having a plain tapering portion and a screw threaded cylindrical portion, the said screw threaded cylindrical portion having the screw threads formed therein both interiorly and exteriorly thereof, with the exterior portions of the said screw threads engaging the screw threaded cylindrical portion of said shank and with the plain tapering portion of said liner frictionally engaging the plain tapering portion of said bore, and a tubular metallic shaft having a plain tapering portion and a screw threaded cylindrical portion, the screw threads on said tubular metallic shaft engaging the interior screw threads on said liner and the plain tapering portion of said tubular metallic shaft engaging the plain tapering portion of said liner immediately above the screw threads therein for supporting said wooden head in driving position.

7. A golf club comprising a wooden head having a shank extending therefrom, said shank having an internal bore therein, a metallic liner having a plain tapering portion and a screw threaded cylindrical portion, the said screw threaded cylindrical portion having the screw threads formed therein both interiorly and exteriorly thereof, with the exterior portions of the said screw threads engaging the bore of said shank and with the plain tapering portion of said liner frictionally engaging said bore, and a metallic shaft connected with said liner, said shaft having a plain tapering portion and a screw threaded cylindrical portion, with the screw threads of said cylindrical portion engaging the interior portions of the screw threads on said liner, and the plain tapering portion thereof frictionally engaging the plain tapering portion of said liner for supporting said wooden head in driving position.

8. A golf club comprising a wooden head having a shank extending therefrom, said shank having an internal bore therein, a metallic liner having a plain tapering portion and a screw threaded cylindrical portion, the plain tapering portion of said liner exceeding in length the length of said screw threaded cylindrical portion, the said screw threaded cylindrical portion having the screw threads formed therein both interiorly and exteriorly thereof, with the exterior'portions of the said screw threads engaging the bore of said shank and with the plain tapering portion of said liner frictionally engaging said bore, and a metallic shaft connected with said liner, said shaft having a plain tapering portion and a screw threaded cylindrical portion, with the screw threads of said cylindical portion engaging the interior portions of the screw threads on said liner, and the plain tapering portion thereof frictionally engaging the plain tapering portion of said liner throughout the length thereof for supporting said wooden head in driving position.

WILLIAM JAMES HADDEN. 

